Many Women Are Outraged By What They’re Calling A Fat Tax

What is the Fat Tax? Learn more in our article.

Women are infuriated because of something people are calling the “Fat Tax” within the fashion industry. In recent years, the industry began to take big steps towards inclusivity, with many brands celebrating and offering clothes for women of all sizes.

With plus size models such as Tess Holliday becoming style icons and designers of the like of Michael Kors and Christian Sirian featuring a range of body types in their previous fall collections, it seemed like the industry, which prides itself on being revolutionary and inclusive, was finally warming up to embracing all types up beauty. New Look was among one of these diversity champions, a high-street heaven offering style for women over size 16 with their Curves section. The optimistic fantasy crumbled after a shopper noticed a pair of trousers in Curves costs up to 15% more than the same pair in the main collection.

“It’s like being discriminated against for being plus-size when I’m only slightly bigger than average,” said the shopper, Maria Wassell. “The average size for a British woman is now a size 16.”

Ever since, the so-called “Fat Tax” has provoked an outcry with many arguing whether or not the price is fair for the use of more material or whether is plain discriminatory.

On one hand its the same, well-known argument: by demanding more material, plus sizes represent a strain for the business. More material equals more money, we get it. But the fact that New Look doesn’t charge extra for its Tall range doesn’t add at all.

In conversation with the BBC, Nyome Nicholas-Williams, a plus-size novel commented the discrepancy between prices was plain judgemental. “Some people don’t choose to be the size they are – or height. If you have to pay extra money [for clothes] subliminally it feels like you are being told you have to lose weight,” she argued.

The Fat Tax has prompted the retail company, New Look, to review its pricings. In a statement, the retailer said:

“To ensure pricing differences like these don’t happen in future, we are in the process of reviewing the pricing structure of our plus-size collection in a way which works best for our customers and our business. “We are proud of the ranges we offer to our plus-size customers and value all customers, no matter what their body shape or size.”

The debate on the Fat Tax is far from over, with many debating whether is fair or not.

The latest update was a report from the chairman of the National Obesity Forum, which claimed the higher prizes were reasonable and a motivator for plus-size women to get into shape.